Conventional flame sources require lighting with matches or the like, and when lit, represent a serious fire hazard, especially when unattended as is the case in commercial settings (e.g. restaurants, stores etc.) Furthermore, real flame sources (e.g. candles) present other personal injury and collateral damage challenges (e.g. dripping wax on people and/or upholstery etc.) Finally, real flame sources are easily extinguished (e.g. by air currents etc.) and accordingly cannot be easily setup and maintained without constant monitoring.
There are a variety of flame imitation novelty products that utilize various methods to simulate a real flame for display purposes such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,454,425 and 4,550,363. Specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 6,454,425 discloses a candle flame simulating device that includes a blowing device for generating an air and for directing the air toward a flame-like flexible member, in order to blow and to oscillate or to vibrate the flame-like flexible member and to simulate a candle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,550,363 discloses an electric-light bulb fitted with a light permeable and light-scatting lamp casing. However, such attempts result in flame displays that are relatively poor imitations of a real flame. In addition, such devices require substantial energy and require frequent battery replacement.